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Monday, July 29, 2013

Summer at it's sweetest.

Ah, summertime. Gorgeous weather and a bounty of nature's delights. When life gives you lemons you're supposed to make lemonade, right? Well, what if it gives you a basket of perfectly ripe nectarines? or peaches? or stawberries? or some other delectable fruit?
Jam? That's a lot of work. Cobbler? For me that's too much sugar on top of something that is already damn near perfect. Crumble? Less sweet, and you can almost convince yourself that it's almost healthy with the oats and nuts and fruit. But again that's a lot of sugar for something so naturally sweet. Plus who wants to turn on the oven in the heat of July?

Enter the Rumble. Perfectly ripe, lightly sweetened fresh fruit forms it's own sauce, topped with rich, vanilla bean ice cream and a halo of fluffy whipped cream.. It's finished off with a crisp and buttery "Rumble" topping made from crunchy nuts and crispy Japanese bread crumbs. No oven needed. The perfect finish to any summertime meal.

Fresh Fruit RumbleThe Fruit Bit:
2 cups of ripe fruit such as nectarines, plums, berries, cherries, even very ripe melon would work.
2 tablespoons to 1/2 cup sugar (vanilla sugar if you have it) depending on the tartness of the fruit you are working with and your own sweet tooth.
(When we made it we used nectarines and black velvet apricots and barely 2 tablespoons of sugar if we'd used raspberries or blackberries or tart cherries we probably would have gotten closer to the 1/2 cup side)

Prepare the fruit by removing stems, pits, seeds etc, and cutting into bite size pieces then sprinkling with sugar to taste. Let sit for at least half an hour to as long as overnight in the fridge.

Spoon into four dessert bowls.

The Creamy Bit:
1 pint premium vanilla bean ice cream (We used this, which we know is ridiculous but in our defense it was on sale at the Fresh Market.)
1 cup lightly sweetened whipped cream (We used this, which is yes, Aldi brand)

Top each bowl of fruit with a half cup of ice cream and a generous dollop/squirt of whipped cream.

Melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium low heat. Add the panko, the nuts and a dash of salt. Cook stirring constantly until bead crumbs begin to color. Stir in the teaspoon of sugar and continue to cook until crumbs are beautifully golden and crisp. Pour into a glass or ceramic bowl to stop the cooking.

Sprinkle evenly between the four dessert bowls.

Serves four.

Note:
MHM said this was better than bread pudding which is probably the highest dessert compliment he can give.